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General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Proof loading bolts 31-Jul-2009 At 10:53:40 AM devlin66

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Shouldn't we be as a matter of good pratice be putting in anchors that if placed sub optimally would provide adequate performance without needing to proof load to prove. ie. a safety margin that gives us room to breathe. I would imagine that you would learn a lot from the testing you are doing at the moment and would start to recognise what works best but I can't help thinking if we came up with a system that was well designed we wouldn't have that issue. Obviously you can't account for freak failures of rock but can account for 99.9999999% of placements by good design. We have standards governing how our climbing gear is made yet we insist that we use anchors that haven't been designed properley with a vast array of installation methods employed.

As a structural designer I am always having to consult standards and work to proven safety margins. I understand the desire to not implement a 'code' for the placement of fixed gear but to be honest I do believe we will be faced with it in the future if land managers deem this is needed to protect themselves.